HILLSVILLE — A Galax man facing drug and gun charges waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Carroll County General District Court on Tuesday.

Autreyhue Dane Davis faces charges of possession of a gun with a schedule I or II drug, distribution of marijuana and manufacturing a schedule I or II drug after a search of a residence at 204 Cross Ridge Lane by the Virginia State Police and the Twin County Drug Task Force, according to court records.

HILLSVILLE — A nuisance animal law proposal will continue to dog the Carroll supervisors until January, when a public hearing will be held.

As conceived, the proposed ordinance would provide a way for homeowners to deal with bothersome dogs that trespass on their land. Under the proposal, they could make a complaint to the animal control officer and take the offending animal owner into court.

Sharon Walker of Fries, a former Waddell Nursing & Rehab certified nursing assistant, was found guilty in General District Court on Monday for taking pictures of nursing home residents while they were undressed.

Waddell Nursing & Rehab called investigators in July after they received an anonymous note from employees stating that Walker and another former Waddell can, Livia Crisan — also charged in the case — were taking inappropriate pictures of patients with their cell phones and showed them to others.

INDEPENDENCE — The Virginia-Carolina Water Authority has received additional funding to complete a regional water system between the towns of Independence and Sparta, N.C.

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Abingdon) announced this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Rural Development Agency, has provided a total of $800,000 in additional funding to the authority to further the construction of the new water system.

Last month, the authority awarded the final five contracts, putting the project $784,385 over budget.

HILLSVILLE — Without the social aspect of tutoring at Out of the Box, eighth and ninth graders from Carroll County Intermediate School might not spend an extra 90 minutes being so studious on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The school system recently teamed up with community partner First United Methodist Church of Hillsville, using the church's youth ministry space set up in the Main Street storefront that formerly housed the Ben Franklin five and dime store.

ROCKY MOUNT — Speaker after speaker passionately, pleadingly or sometimes testily implored the Virginia State Corporation Commission last Thursday to take action that current state law is unlikely to allow — that they fully reject or drastically reduce another rate increase proposed this year by Appalachian Power Co. that would further increase customers' electric bills.